Chapter 653: Chapter 425: The Decision
Wei Ziang spoke at length, and everyone more or less understood the meaning between his words.
The Marquess of Agriculture loves farming, so naturally, as the daughter of the Marquess of Agriculture, the first thing she cares about is the crops and grains.
It was because she couldn’t stand seeing the land go to waste that she learned from Wei Ziang about the reasons for the land being idle, which led to the creation of the "telescope" for convenient inspection.
Of course, this doesn’t exclude the fact that the Marquess of Agriculture’s family is in Anning Village, not far from Lishi City.
Although there are 150,000 troops near Lishi City, they mainly guard the Stone Forest, and there’s no guarantee that not a single enemy slips through.
Thinking this way, it’s understandable why Miss Jiang had such an idea.
However, this telescope is no small matter, especially during wartime between two countries, the telescope could play a significant role.
If this telescope is made, it might not be within his power as a low-ranking general to decide its fate.
With this in mind, General Song turned his head to look at Minister Xie from the Capital City.
"Minister Xie, what do you think of this?"
Minister Xie is from the Ministry of War, coming from the Capital City, and considered a direct superior to General Song as well as a confidant of the Emperor. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here.
In this situation, even if he doesn’t directly decide for the Emperor, he can at least make a decision or two.
Minister Xie thought for a moment and asked General Song, "If it’s for border inspections, how many telescopes would be enough?"
He spoke as if the telescope had already been completed.
General Song replied without thinking: "Four! Four would suffice. With the help of the telescope, four teams could patrol daily, which would not only ensure greater safety but also greatly speed up the process!"
Minister Xie then turned to Wei Ziang, "Young General Wei, how about this plan? Once the telescope is ready, we’ll leave four at Lishi City. As General Song mentioned, four would suffice."
"As for the remaining ones, the Emperor will decide on their distribution to other border cities. After all, the Xuyu Dynasty’s border is not just Lishi City, there are many others."
Wei Ziang was not surprised at all; he had anticipated this when he dismantled so many lenses.
He nodded immediately, saying, "Minister Xie can make arrangements as he sees fit."
"Minister Xie, General Song, have you made your decision? Can we take these things away now?"
Having waited for so long, Lord Liu finally couldn’t hold back.
Looking at them, everyone was holding a lens and observing it, and to avoid scratching the lenses, they padded them with silk cloth.
Wei Ziang glanced carefully, amused to find that the silk cloth seemed to be torn from someone’s clothes.
It seems everyone treasures these lenses dearly.
Thinking about it, Wei Ziang caught up with Lord Liu and the others who were preparing to leave.
"Masters, may I join you for a look?"
Wei Ziang had been learning to forge iron lately. Being a beginner apprentice, he had to learn to forge iron first before doing anything else.
"Of course, but there’s no rush now. We must first send a letter back to the Capital City to have someone send material over. Here there’s only wood, the temperature is not sufficient to make refined iron."
"Exactly, since we are making it, we might as well make the best. At least the telescopes that come from our hands shouldn’t break after just a short usage."
"Young Wei, you can take this time to learn the basics, and when we start, we’ll definitely call you."
After all, he is the brother of the master of the lenses, and possibly even her beloved.
Such a small request; they were, of course, willing to accept. Being able to make a few telescopes to be passed down through generations, it’s not just about teaching iron forging, they’d even pour their whole hearts into it if needed!
However, this skill isn’t something one can learn just because it’s being taught.
Minister Xie quickly chimed in, "Why not go to the Capital City directly? In the Capital City, there is everything, making a few telescopes would surely be a piece of cake for you."
"Heh." Lord Liu gave a half-hearted smile at Minister Xie, "Minister Xie has nothing much lately, why don’t you head back to the Capital City to report?"
Fifteen thousand troops are guarding around this Stone Forest, what would someone with no combat ability nor battle experience do staying here? Is the food at the border delicious?
This was all written in Lord Liu’s eyes.
General Song said nothing on the side. Although Lishi City could be considered his territory, everyone here, except for Wei Ziang, held a higher rank than him.
Unless they genuinely encounter enemies, on normal days, he still has to be a bit more courteous to these officials.
Minister Xie coughed awkwardly, "I send reports back every few days; whether I go back or not, it’s not of consequence."
"However, Lord Liu is right. I haven’t written a report today. Why don’t we write it together? Lord Liu, you let me know what you need, and I’ll include it all."
Saying this, Minister Xie left together with Lord Liu and the others.
Wei Ziang looked at them leaving, rather speechless, feeling a tap on his shoulder; it was General Song, who seemed to understand as well.
"Let me tell you, as long as Xiaomi stays in Lishi City, these guys will certainly not leave Lishi City."
Wei Ziang couldn’t help but laugh; he was starting to see it too.
It’s really that Xiaomi has given too many surprises lately—or rather, shocks.
Whether it’s the stone mine, or thousands of tons of grain, or these casually produced telescope lenses, which of these isn’t awe-inspiring?
No wonder these people don’t want to leave; they’re probably hoping to see if Xiaomi might do something else astonishing.
However, Wei Ziang also noticed that ever since Xiaomi came to Lishi City, or rather, since Xiaomi grew up and her father was conferred the title of Marquis of Agriculture,
Perhaps Xiaomi feels that the rulers above are wise, the court is relatively clear, and there’s no need to worry about underhanded tactics.
Understanding this, Xiaomi has become more and more high-profile.
On the one hand, she tests the court’s trust in her, and on the other, she tries to make the world better within her abilities.
"By the way, Young Wei, you mentioned Miss Jiang felt these lands were wasted. Does she have any plans?"
Since it was Miss Jiang who said it, and being the daughter of the Marquess of Agriculture, she must have her own ideas on this matter, right?
Wei Ziang nodded honestly: "Xiaomi did mention it. She said when the military has no assignments, a few hundred or even a thousand soldiers could be sent daily to reclaim and cultivate the land within the border."
"This way, not only would supplies be more abundant, but it would also be a precaution, and with the telescope, daily patrols would become much easier, and the land wouldn’t be wasted."
General Song pondered with his hands behind his back for a moment, suddenly turning his head.
"This idea is indeed excellent. Young Wei, come with me first, we’ll discuss it thoroughly. We might as well start reclaiming the land while waiting for the telescope to be completed."
With this, he directly took Wei Ziang to his place, took out a map, and they genuinely began to discuss it.